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Special Diets Improve Autism

Special Diets Have Indeed Helped Many Autistic Children Improve

A recent article by the Associated Press contained this terribly misleading headline and incorrect reporting:

Panel: Special diets don’t fight autism – A new report dismisses connections between the disorder and children’s digestion.

This type of misleading headline and biased reporting can make us all crazy. If you read the actual report you’ll find the panel did not dismiss or dispute anything. There was not any new scientific research done. A panel of top autism experts did a review of existing research and reported that “because of the absence, in general, of high-quality clinical research data, evidence-based recommendations are not possible at the present time.”

The panel concluded that there is not enough evidence at this time to advocate GFCF diets or other “special diets” as a first line therapy for all kids with autism. They identified research objectives that need to be pursued and called for more rigorous research into the prevalence of digestive problems and whether special diets might help some children.

A lack of high-quality clinical scientific evidence is very different from disputing or dismissing a medical theory.

Many parents and doctors are reporting dramatic improvements in autistic children on special diets.

David Berger, MD, a board certified pediatrician in Tampa, FL, has changed the diets of well over 1,000 children with autism. It’s been his experience that approximately half have significantly improved. Many other pediatricians and child health practitioners are helping autistic children to improve with diet.

Listen to Dr. Berger’s interview with his local CBS News affiliate to learn what significant dramatic improvements have been seen and what he suggests may be the reasons for the improvements of a dairy-free/gluten-free diet. Dr. Berger can be reached at http://wholisticpeds.com/

The report was published in Pediatrics:
Evaluation, Diagnosis, and Treatment of Gastrointestinal Disorders in Individuals With ASDs: A Consensus Report
Pediatrics 2010 125: S1-S18.

Autism Treatment Resources

http://www.autism.com/dan/danusdis.htm

http://nourishinghope.com/